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Smartphones with built-in location applications are an easy marketing vehicle for businesses, but there are rules to follow so that you don't creep out customers who worry about being tracked, experts say. Businesses need to make sure the apps they use are from legitimate providers, that customer data are secure and that their customers have specifically agreed to receive offers.

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Travelers are planning to take at least two trips this summer, mostly by car, and they are looking for value, according to a Choice Hotels International survey of its customers. The Choice brands have seen an uptick in bookings as business and leisure travelers hit the road this summer, said Choice President and CEO Stephen Joyce, who adds that the new Cambria Hotel and Suites brand offers room layouts that are perfect for families due to a built-in barrier that creates separate spaces.

Foursquare's ad technologies are advancing to the point where the company could soon push geo-targeted ads to people's phones even before they actively check in at a given location. Foursquare's Brian Williamson compared the technology to "Minority Report," in which the main character is greeted by personalized ads as he walks through a mall. The technology could be key for the revenue-hungry company, but it also has the potential to give users the creeps, Ryan Tate writes.

The use of geoaware targeting and geofencing marketing strategies has more than doubled in the past year, according to location-based ad platform Verve Mobile. These strategies resulted in higher click-through rates than competing location-based marketing approaches, and were most popular with retail, restaurant and travel businesses, Verve said. Most shoppers would prefer to make purchases within a 10-mile radius, notes real-time local product search platform Milo.

To keep a website-development project running smoothly, it's critical to make sure the firm you have hired understands what you are looking for, writes Michael Hess of Skooba Design. Plan out every detail of your site, and create a visual to illustrate your needs. Also, read the developer's proposal carefully, he writes.

The economy has gotten so bad that many small businesses, seeking to buoy their can-do spirit, are feeling good about the economy just leveling out. While consumers and enterprises view the economy more negatively, the National Federation of Independent Business' tracking of its membership indicates that small-business confidence dropped only 5 points during 2008. Consumer confidence fell 28 points.